THAP (Thanatos-associated protein) domain is a zinc-binding domain found in proteins involved in transcriptional regulation, cell-cycle control, apoptosis and chromatin modification. It contains a single zinc atom ligated by cysteine and histidine residues within a C-x(2,4)-C-x(35,50)-C-x(2)-H consensus. Orthologues of the human THAP domain have been identified in other vertebrates and probably worms and flies, but not in other eukaryotes or any prokaryotes. The THAP-type zinc finger is a ~90-residue long domain, found mostly in animals, vertebrates and invertebrates, and is shared between the THAP family of cellular DNA-binding proteins, and transposases from mobile genomic parasites PMID:12575992,PMID:12717420. THAP1, the prototype of the THAP family, possesses zinc-dependent sequence-specific DNA binding activity and recognises a consensus DNA target sequence of 11 nucleotides PMID:15863623. The THAP-type zinc finger can be found in one or more copies and can be associated with other domains, such as the C2H2-type zinc finger.

PFAM:PF05485,INTERPRO:IPR006612,DOI:10.1016/j.jmb.2006.11.058,DOI:10.1038/nsmb.1742